Greg Hodges acknowledges he shouldn’t be alive today after a horrific truck accident that saw him struggle free from a burning vehicle nine years ago.
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It was an incident that only left him with minor physical injuries, but the crippling, unseen mental scars continue to plague him to this day.
“After the accident I developed severe depression and anxiety,” he said.
“Some days it was terrifying to get back behind the wheel, but the bills were piling up and so I really had no choice but to keep driving.”
Unfortunately, Mr Hodges’ story is not uncommon among Australian truck drivers, with many suffering from mental health issues including anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder.
After becoming overweight and developing severe diabetes due to his poor mental health, a doctor informed Mr Hodges he was close to death.
It was that moment three years ago that saw Mr Hodges turn to Trans-Help, a not-for-profit organisation offering support to truck drivers.
Mr Hodges, along with more than 100 others gathered in East Wagga at the weekend to attend Trans-Help’s Ride For Truckies fundraising event.
Supporters of the national body took to motorbikes that made a 295-kilometre journey from Wagga to Nangus, through towns including Adelong and Gundagai.
Wagga’s Trans-Help president Bruce Dodds said drivers were exposed to numerous things that impacted on their mental health, including strict deadlines, lack of sleep, accidents, poor nutrition and loneliness.
"Truckies are away from home for five to six days a week, it's a high pressure industry, they don't eat properly, they don't get enough sleep and this leads to very high rates of depression, divorce and even suicide."
To support drivers, the organisation provides a 24-hour counselling hotline, online resources and on-road health vans, from which a volunteer nurse offers health checks.
Though he still suffers from post traumatic stress, Mr Hodges said it was only with the assistance of Trans-Help that he was able to become physically healthy and emotionally stable once again.
“Typically truckies don't really acknowledge issues that might be going on internally, but it’s so important for them to seek that support,” he said.
